Call for responses: Royal Mail and the Universal Service

Royal Mail is currently exploring what a rebalanced Universal Service might look like. It has surveyed the views of thousands of customers about what they want from them and wants to hear from you.

The Universal Service is the regulated service Royal Mail provides, which gives everyone access to a range of products and services to every address across the country for the same price. This ‘one price goes anywhere’ principle means that whether in Bristol or Blackpool, you can send an item in the post to another place in the UK at no added cost.

So far, Royal Mail has found that the best way to ensure the Universal Service continues to meet its customers’ needs is to rebalance its service model more towards the growing parcels market, particularly urgent parcels, and urgent letters. Royal Mail remains committed to the “one price goes anywhere” principle, but it would like to deliver the items its customers want more often, not less. To do that it needs a regulatory system fit for the future.

Over the coming weeks, Royal Mail wants to hear from more customers and other stakeholders about what they want from them and the Universal Service.

The survey shouldn’t take more than five to ten minutes. All information provided will be anonymised and treated confidentially.

You can take the survey, here.

Royal Mail will share its insights with its independent regulator, Ofcom, and Government in the autumn. The upcoming Ofcom review of both user needs and the wider regulatory framework will be vital to securing a platform which permits the investment required to deliver the Universal Service. Any substantive decision on change is a matter for Ofcom, Government and ultimately Parliament.